Editing Vortigern (section)

===''Historia Brittonum''===
[[File:Vortigern-Dragons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Detail from [[Lambeth Palace Library]] MS 6 folio 43v illustrating an episode in ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (c. 1136). Pictured above, Vortigern sits at the edge of a pool whence two dragons emerge, [a crimson dragon representing Uther Pendragon defeating the white dragon that represents Vortigern] which do battle in his presence.]]

The ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'' (History of the Britons) was attributed until recently to [[Nennius]], a monk from [[Bangor, Gwynedd]], and was probably compiled during the early 9th century. The writer mentions a great number of sources. Nennius wrote more negatively of Vortigern, accusing him of [[incest]] (perhaps confusing Vortigern with the Welsh king [[Vortiporius]], accused by Gildas of the same crime), oath-breaking, treason, love for a pagan woman, and lesser vices such as pride.

The ''Historia Brittonum'' recounts many details about Vortigern and his sons. Chapters 31–49 tell how Vortigern (Guorthigirn) deals with the Saxons and [[Saint Germanus of Auxerre]]. Chapters 50–55 deal with [[Saint Patrick]]. Chapter 56 tells about King Arthur and his battles. Chapters 57–65 mention English genealogies, mingled with [[History of England|English]] and [[History of Wales|Welsh history]]. Chapter 66 gives important chronological calculations, mostly on Vortigern and the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain]].

Excluding what is taken from Gildas, there are a number of traditions:
* Material quoted from a ''Life of Saint Germanus''. These excerpts describe Germanus of Auxerre's incident with one [[Benlli]], an inhospitable host seemingly unrelated to Vortigern who comes to an untimely end, but his servant provides hospitality and is made the progenitor of the kings of Powys. They also describe Vortigern's son by his own daughter, whom Germanus raises, and Vortigern's own end caused by fire from heaven.<ref>{{Cite DWB|id=s-GWRT-HEY-0400 |last=Williams|first=Ifor|year=1959|title=Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern)}}</ref>
It has been suggested that the saint mentioned here may be no more than a local saint or a tale that had to explain all the holy places dedicated to a St. Germanus or a "Garmon", who may have been a Powys saint or even a bishop from the [[Isle of Man]] about the time of writing the ''Historia Brittonum''. The story seems only to be explained as a slur against the rival dynasty of Powys, suggesting that they did not descend from Vortigern but from a mere slave.
* A number of calculations attempting to fix the year when Vortigern invited the Saxons into Britain. These are made by the writer, naming interesting persons and calculating their dates, making several mistakes in the process.
* Genealogical material about Vortigern's ancestry, including the names of his four sons ([[Vortimer]], [[Pascent]], [[Catigern]], and Faustus), his father Vitalis, his grandfather Vitalinus, and his great-grandfather Gloui, who is probably just an eponym which associates Vortigern with [[Glevum]], the civitas of [[Gloucester]].
* The story of why Vortigern granted land in Britain to the Saxons, first to [[Isle of Thanet|Thanet]] in exchange for service as ''foederati'' troops, then to the rest of Kent in exchange for marriage to Hengest's daughter,<ref name=Lupack/> then to [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]] and [[Kingdom of Sussex|Sussex]] after a banquet where the Saxons treacherously slew all of the leaders of the British but saved Vortigern to extract this ransom.
* The tale of [[Ambrosius Aurelianus]] and the two [[European dragon|dragons]] found beneath [[Dinas Emrys]].<ref name=Lupack>[https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/theme/Vortigern Lupack, Alan. "Vortigern", The Camelot Project, University of Rochester]</ref>

The ''Historia Brittonum'' relates four battles occurring in Kent, apparently related to material in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' (see below). It claims that Vortigern's son [[Vortimer]] commanded the Britons against Hengest's Saxons. Moreover, it claims that the Saxons were driven out of Britain, only to return at Vortigern's invitation a few years later, after the death of Vortimer.

The stories preserved in the ''Historia Brittonum'' reveal an attempt by one or more anonymous British scholars to provide more detail to this story, while struggling to accommodate the facts of the British tradition.